Protective container



Dec. 3, 1968 E. GOODENOW 3,414,165-

PROTECT IVE CONTAINER Filed Nov. 4, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .J I N VEN TOR. [2 4.5 5 000:7/6/1/ mv a Dec. 3, 1968 E; GOODENOW 3,414,165

PROTECTIVE CONTAINER Filed Nov. 4. 1966 2 Shets-Sheet 2 FIG] I N V EN TOR. fad 05/1/0/1/ I I AM&%

United States Patent 3,414,165 PROTECTIVE CONTAINER Earle Goodenow, 108 E. 30th St.,

' New York, N.Y. 10016 Filed Nov.'4, 1966, Ser. No. 592,205

3 Claims. (Cl. 22282) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A liquid storage container provided with an expandable bag to protect a stored liquid as the same is decanted. The container is formed with a spout which communicates with the stored liquid by means of a downwardly extending passageway formed by an inner boundary wall, said passageway having a bottom entry into the main liquid storage chamber. The invention also applies to disposable containers with built in expandable bags, with an external spout and pouring arrangement being attached to the container by piercing means which create the bottom entry passageway.

This invention relates to containers, and more specifically to containers which provide storage protection against adverse chemical reactions while furnishing convenient dispensing facilities.

In many fields today, the need has arisen to adequately protect volatile or other reactive substances during intermittent periods of storage and use. Thus, there is a very basic requirement that no outside contaminants be permitted to mix with various oxidizable materials (e.g., photographic developers). If such mixing occurs, the materials are at the very least diluted, and even more seriously, chemically deteriorated. The very chemical effectiveness of many stored substances can be significantly impaired or completely destroyed if suitable steps are not taken to protect them while they are in storage.

While the prior art has recognized this problem, the solutions offered heretofore have not been as useful or successful in operation as the problem itself dictates. Thus, it is well known to provide a flexible or expandable bag or membrane attached to a cap on a liquid storage container whereby a passage is available to the outside atmosphere; accordingly, the sac will expand to fill the empty space in the container made vacant by the withdrawal of liquid therein. However, the prior art has failed to implement this solution with respect to simplified liquid-removal apparatus. Thus, since the typical storage situation, whether industrial or domestic usage is involved, is the storage of a liquid volume on the order of one gallon, the prior art has nevertheless utilized relatively compex fixtures including valves, spigots, etc. to achieve the necessary dispensing of the stored liquid and seems designed for static storage facilities rather than for handy use. Prior art structures and devices have required this complexity by their very nature, and apart from the present invention, simplified means for dispensing such a stored liquid while maintaining the unused amounts free from adverse chemical reaction with the outside atmosphere has not been realized.

The presently available or otherwise disclosed containers have not been designed with suflicient simplicity in mind to permit ready access by, for example, free-pouring. Accordingly, the prior art has emphasized the storage function so heavily, that dispensing has become an afterthought, provided for in most cases by the aforementioned valves, spigots, etc. It has not been previously contemplated to furnish an integrated structure which will provide the necessary protective storage and yet still allow ready dispensing with a simplified pouring arrangement.

It is therefore an object of this invention to obviate one or more of the aforesaid difliculties.

3,414,165 Patented Dec. 3, 1968 It is a further object of this invention to provide a container to protect a substance during storage and-enable it to be dispensed in a manner utilizing more simplified structure than heretofore.

It is still another object of this invention to eliminate complex valve-like access to protective liquid storage containers.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a protective storage container as a disposable unit with a reusable dispensing arrangement.

One particular embodiment of this invention includes a molded or otherwise formed storage container (illustratively with a convenient carrying handle) providing a bulk storage space into which a volatile or other potentially reactive liquid or substance can be placed. The container can conveniently be made of relatively tough resilient plastic, such as polyethylene; materials suitable to form the container will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In addition, the container is formed with a relatively wide-mouthed upper opening and is adapted to receive thereover an engageable cap which possesses therethrough a narrow opening or bore. The underside of the cap has a flange-like nipple which permits the fastening thereto, by suitable elastic means for example, of an opening to an expandable bag. The bag may generally be made of Pliofilm or other suitable membrane-like plastic or other similar material, well known to those in the art. When the expandable bag is attached to the underside of the nipple of the cap, and the bag is inserted in crumpled form into the liquid storage space within the container, there is an air communication passageway for the outside atmosphere through the bore in the cap into the expandable bag. As is well known, as liquid is decanted or otherwise removed from the inside of the container, established air pressure principles dictate the expansion of the bag by virtue of its filling with air to take up the volume left vacant by the removed liquid. The stored liquid is thus protected from any unwanted outside atmospheric effects which could harm or cause deterioration of the stored liquid.

A major difference from the prior art is the present inventions pouring apparatus. Thus, one embodiment of this invention includes a spout projecting from the upper surface of the container and extending downward in the form of a protected passageway into the storage space within the container. The passageway is bounded by one outer wall of the container and an inner protecting wall which extends the entire height of the container except for a small communication channel between the spout passageway and the storage space itself.

Ready pouring access is thereby available for the contained liquid by virtue of removal of a spout cap which can be suitably engaged onto the projecting spout. All that is necessary to complete the protection of the stored liquid from any outside atmospheric effects is to loosely attach the spout cap following each decanting of stored liquid, noting the appearance of liquid from underneath this spout cap. This appearance indicates that all the air in the spout passageway has been removed, and the container now has therein the remaining quantity of stored liquid, the partially expanded plastic bag, and no harmful contaminants.

It is therefore a feature of an embodiment of this invention that a liquid storage container protects a reactive liquid stored therein by the combination of air expanding an inflatable bag within the container and a spout pouring arrangement communicating with the stored liquid through a bottom entry into a main liquid storage chamber.

It is a further feature of an embodiment of this invention that a liquid storage container is formed with a spout as a pouring extension of a passage bounded for a substantial length of said container by an inner boundary wall for preventing communicating of outside air and a stored liquid relative to the pouring step.

It is still another feature of an embodiment of this invention that a container unit is provided with a collapsed, expandable bag above the surface of a stored liquid, and means are included to create an external spout passageway and a bottom entry into said container unit to permit protective pouring access to said liquid.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiments demonstrating objects and features of the invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded sectional view of the components of a container in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the container cap and its nipple portions, with a segment of an expandable bag shown attached to the caps inner nipple and having been inserted through the cap openin FIG. 3 is a partially fragmentary sectional view of a container in accordance with the present invention in assembled form, with air having partially filled the expandable bag within a storage chamber space and with both the wide-mouthed opening and the projecting spout being capped;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional vie-w of the projecting spout of the present invention with the cap attached thereto and the spout in a decanting or pouring position;

FIG. 5 is a partially fragmentary sectional view of the container of the present invention shown in its pouring position with the spout cap removed;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a container unit in accordance with another embodiment of this invention, illustrating apparatus for providing protective pouring access thereto;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the container, partly broken away for clarity, indicating the manner in which pouring access to the container of FIG. 6 is obtained;

FIG. 8 is a fregmentary front sectional view of the container unit and a partially broken away view of the pouring apparatus, both enlarged, after pouring access to the container has been achieved;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary front view of the pouring apparatus positioned in relation to a wall of the container unit, taken from the line 9-9 of FIG. 8 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional top view of the pouring apparatus and the container, taken along the line 10-10 of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective fragmentary view of the pouring apparatus, partly broken away for clarity.

As previously alluded to, this invention improves on prior art structures in providing a protective storage container which, in addition, has suitable facilities for decanting or pouring, for example, a stored volatile liquid. This pouring is arranged to occur without disturbing the delicate chemical balance whereby air is prevented, in a well known manner, from reaching the stored liquid. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 1 in exploded form and in FIG. 3 in assembled form, the protective container 10 comprises a cap 12 having an internal flange-like nipple 12a and a bore 12b through the center portion of the cap 12. An expandable bag 14, illustratively having a membrane-like quality and being made of any of several well-known materials exhibiting such a quality, such as pliofilm, has an opening 14a adapted to surround the nipple 12a of the cap 12. The airtight fastening between the bag 14 and the nipple 12a is achieved by means of an elastic element 16 or other suitable fastening means which secures the opening of the bag 14 around the outside of the nipple 12a (see enlarged view of FIG. 2).

The actual container 18 comprises a projecting spout 24 having securement means thereon adapted in a wellknown manner to receive the spout cap when capping is called for as described below. Downwardly extending into the storage chamber area of the container 18 is a spout passageway 26 defined by external container wall and an internal boundary wall 28 of the container. The internal wall 28 extends the entire height of the container 18 except for a small portion at the bottom thereof providing a lower entry channel 30 between the passageway 26 and the bulk of the stored liquid 22.

In addition, as seen best in FIG. 2, the container '18 is formed with a wide-mouthed filling opening 32 having external securement means (such as threads) adapted to mate with internal securement means on the cap 12. Moreover, the container 18 can have a convenient built-in handle portion 34 for simplified lifting and tilting of the container for which ready access by pouring is required. As is well known, the container 18 and its various component parts can be made in various shapes and sizes, and of various types of materials such as molded polyethylene or other suitable plastic, metal, etc., as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In proceeding from the exploded version of the invention shown in FIG. 1 to the assembled form shown in FIG. 3, the expandable bag 14 may illustratively have its opening initially fastened around the nipple 12a by the elastic fasteners 16 shown in enlarged fashion in FIG. 2. After this fastening step has occurred, there is accordingly an air passageway from outside atmosphere through the bore 12b in the cap 12 into the expandable chamber 36 in which outside air is captured. The container 18 is then filled with the illustrati-vely volatile or reactive liquid (e.g., photographic developer, or other oxidizable material); this filling step can illustratively occur by suitable pouring or decanting techniques into the container 18 through opening 32 therein. It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that this manner of filling the container is merely illustrative, and well-known techniques can be applied to fill the container in any convenient manner. The fastening step previously described then takes place and the expandable bag 14 is inserted in crumpled form within the wide-mouthed opening 32 of the container 18. The cap 12 is initially permitted to remain seated loosely on the walls of the opening 32.

Following the fastening of the bag to the cap 12 and the loose seating of the cap 12 on the opening 32, partial inflation of the bag 14 is made to occur, for example by an operators blowing through the bore 12b. The bag 14 is accordingly expanded to occupy the space 33 (FIG. 1) not filled by the liquid 22. Following this partial inflation step, the cap 12 is quite securely tightened onto the upward projecting and illustratively externally threaded opening 32 to prevent the entry of air into the liquid storage base through the opening 32.

In order to insure that no air is present even in the spout passageway 26 following the filling and fastening steps, it may be advisable to tilt the container with the spout cap 20 loosely aflixed to the projecting spout 24. This step is illustrated in FIG. 4. When a small amount of liquid appears at the junction of the cap 20 and the spout 24, shown by the arrow in FIG. 4, this is an indication that all of the .air is out of the spout and the spout cap can then be tightened securely. When these precautionary steps have been taken, the liquid will be protectively stored from all outside contaminants, taking the assembled form (the storage mode) shown partially fragmented in FIG. 3.

When liquid is to be decanted or poured from the container 18 by virtue of tilting the container to the position generally shown in FIG. 5, the spout cap 20 is first removed from the projecting spout 24, permitting the desired pouring of the stored liquid. As this pouring takes place, as is well known in the art, the outside air pressure forces air through the cap bore 12b to cause expansion within the air enclosure space 36-. Consequently, the bag 14 expands in a well-known manner to fill the gradually vacated space formerly occupied by the stored.

liquid. Based upon the equilibrium of air pressure, this expanding action prevents any air from entering into contact with the stored liquid 22, as for example by being forced down through the spout passageway 26. The onlysafeguard that need be followed to insure maintaining 'the proper protective storage conditions is that the tilting and relatively loose fitting cap step. described above in relation to FIG. 4 should be followed each time that decantingor pouring is terminated. In this manner, it is assured that any air in the spout passageway 26 is removed following each pouring step, and that the air pressure equilibrium referred to above can serve its desired function of preventing air contamination of the stored liquid 22. Under these circumstances, the surfaces of the liquid touch only. the container walls, and a portion of the surface of the bag 14 in its expanded form. Accordingly, no undesired contamination, whether in the form ofo'xidation or the entry or other external impurities, can'occur and the stored liquid ,is protected during storage, .and is provided with a readily accessible means to achieve convenient liquid removal.

An alternative embodiment of this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6-11. This embodiment demonstrates the applicability of the present invention to a disposable unitary container for which convenient pouring access can be provided by readily attachable means. This aspect of the invention permits protective storage to be achieved by means of, for example, a standard volume can which is initially filled with a volatile or otherwise reactable liquid and is manufactured with a collapsed expandable bag of pliofilm or the like in the space between the top of the can and the upper surface of the contained liquid. Also built into the container is a small upper air access hole comparable in a general way to the bore 12b in the cap 12 in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-5. This permits the usual pressure equilibrium to take place.

In order to create the pouring access relationship similar to that seen in the embodiment of FIGS. 15, an external spout and pouring .apparatus is aflixed tothe unitary container, piercing it at an appropriate lower entry point to establish the bottom passageway equivalent to the similar passageway 30 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5. Following such piercing and attaching of the external pouring apparatus to the disposable container unit, the protective pouring access described above with relation to the embodiment of FIGS. l-5 is applicable in a similar fashion to the disposable container embodiment of FIGS. 6-11.

Referring specifically to FIG. 6, there is illustrated a disposable container unit 40 with cylindrical side walls 42. The unit 40 has upper and lower rims 48 and 50 respectively, and has a small air entry passageway 46 in its upper surface In normal usage prior to acquiring pouring access to the unit, the air entry hole 46 is covered by .a suitable removable seal (e.g., an adhesive arrangement) 44.

The contents of the can as it comes from manufacture are visible in the broken away portion of the container unit 40 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Thus, there is an internal nipple-flange 46a underlying the air hole 46 in the upper surface of can 40. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this nipple-flange 46a can be dispensed with if suitable attachment means to the cans upper inner surface can be achieved for the collapsed pliofilm bag 54. Describing the securement arrangement by reference to the nipple-flange 46a by way of illustration only, the bag 54 is attached thereto by suitable adhesive means 56 in a fashion similar to the securement of the corresponding bag in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5. When the bag 54 is placed within the can 40 during manufacture, it is in its crumpled or collapsed form and overlies the upper surface of the contained volatile or otherwise reactable liquid 52. As some of the liquid 52 is removed from the container in a manner to be described more 6 fully below, the bag 54 expands (see expansion of bag 54 between views of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8) to fill the space vacated by the removed liquid. As previously described, this serves to provide a protective upper space above the level of the liquid 54 to thereby preclude contact between the liquid 52 and any outside air or other contaminants.

In order to establish the pouring access relationship being described herein .with respect to the unitary disposable container 40, apparatus generally designated by the reference numeral 60 is illustrated in FIGS. 6-11. Referring to the general perspective view of the apparatus 60 shown in FIG. 6, there is included an elongated hollow shaft portion 62 which is shown as being slightly tapered, although this is merely a design choice as to which variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The upper portion of the shaft 62 projects into curved spout portion 64 which has suitable securement means on its tip to permit the attachment thereto of spout cap 66. As previously indicated, the securement means can be external threads on the spout 64, or any of .a number of other securement arrangements, such as force-fitting and the like. A pnog'ecting hook element 68 permits the apparatus to grip the upper rim 48 of the container 40, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 for example.

The lower portion of the pouring access apparatus 60 includes a lever handle 70 which can conveniently be U-shaped in order to permit its nesting over the shaft 62 when it is rotated to effect the piercing action to be described below. Specifically, referring to the enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 11 as well, the apparatus 60 includes a sharpened cutter tube 76 surrounded by an absorbing element 74, such as a rubber washer or other suitably resilient means. To provide underlying gripping between the apparatus 60 and the lower portion of the container 40 (e.g., the lower rim 50), lug 72 having an upward projecting gripping flange is inserted under the rim 50, as seen for example in FIG. 7 prior to the cutting action having taken place. Accordingly, the apparatus 60 assumes the slightly slanted position shown in FIG. 7 after having been attached to the container unit 40 by virtue of upper gripping book 68 and lower gripping lug 72.

In order to achieve the pouring access relationship illustrated in FIG. 8, the lever handle 70 is pivoted around its pin attachment to shaft 62 as indicated by the directional arrow proximate thereto in FIG. 8. Due to the gripping forces exerted between the apparatus 60' and container unit 40 (by hook 68 and lug 72) during the rotation of the lever handle 70, the sharp leading edge of the cutter tube 76 is forced through the wall 42 of the container 40 at a relatively lower entry point thereof (see FIG. 8). A liquid flow path is thereby provided from the liquid 52 within the container 40 through the tube 76 and into the connected spout 62 (see also view of FIG. 9). The washer 74 as viewed in FIGS. 8 and 10 can be seen to have assumed a flattened position surrounding junctions between the cutter tube 76 and the pierced portions of the wall 42 of the container unit 40. Thus, the flattened out washer 74 assumes the role of a liquid seal.

Finally, as viewed in the broken away portion of shaft 62 in FIG. 8, the liquid rises to a level therein corresponding to the level of the liquid 52 within the container 40. (In order for this to occur, it is apparent that the cap 66 of the spout 64 would have to be initially removed, and this would be done in a manner generally similar to the drip-decanting step described with relation to FIG. 4 in the first embodiment of this invention.) In order to permit the final air pressure equilibrium relationship to be established between the outside atmospheric pressure and the air within expandable bag 54, the removable seal 44 is stripped away to allow the passage of air through the aperture 46 and into the expandable bag 54 in a manner previously described. When this air pressure relationship is established, the stored liquid can be poured and then protected in the same general manner as described previously with relation to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A protective storage and dispensing apparatus comprising a container for receiving liquid therein, means providing at least one control aperture in said container, flexible means coupled to said control aperture for establishing an air pressure equilibrium between the outside atmosphere and a volume of air contained within said flexible means and pouring means having channel means communicating with said liquid within said container at the bottom thereof for preventing contact between said liquid and said outside atmosphere during the pouring of said liquid, said channel means including substantially vertically disposed conduit means having an upwardly projecting spout, said conduit means extending downwardly to form a relatively narrow bottom entry passageway between said liquid and said conduit means, said conduit means including independent shaft means external to said container, and including in addition linking means for forming said bottom entry passageway between said container and said shaft means, said independent shaft means being disposed substantially adjacent to the outer wall of said container, and wherein said linking means includes a cutting tube for piercing said outer wall of said container at a lower entry point thereof, and wherein said independent shaft means includes an elongated hollow portion, a first gripping means for attachment to the upper portion of said container, second gripping means for underlying attachment to the bottom portion of said container and lever mean adapted for pivoting around said elongated hollow portion of said shaft means for forcing said cutting tube through said outer wall of said container to establish said bottom entry passageway therethrough.

2. In a device for storing and dispensing a liquid from a container having upper and lower surfaces with rims thereon and at least one side wall connecting said surfaces, whereby contact between the outside atmosphere and said liquid is prevented, apparatus for establishing a pouring access relationship with said container comprising an elongated hollow shaft, a spout connected to said shaft and projecting upward therefrom, a gripping hook at the upper portion of said shaft for attaching said apparatus to said rim of said upper surface of said container, a lug disposed below said shaft for attaching said apparatus to said rim of said lower surface of said container, said apparatus being arranged substantially adjacent to said container subsequent to the attachment of said gripping hook and said lug, a cutting tube communicating with said elongated hollow shaft and having a sharp leading edge disposed opposite the lower portion of said side wall of said contained when said apparatus is initially attached to said container and a lever handle pivoted on said elongated hollow shaft and having an attachment mounting for said lug whereby the pivotal movement of said lever handle causes said cutting tube to pierce said side wall to establish said pouring access relationship.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2 including in addition a resilient member surrounding said cutting tube to form a leakproof seal between said pierced side wall and said outside atmosphere when said lever handle is pivoted to cause said cutting tube to pierce said side wall and wherein said lug includes an upward projecting flange to grip said rim of said lower surface of said container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 821,875 5/1906 Kneuper 2223 86.5 1,434,740 11/ 1922 Gibson 222-465 2,233,996 3/1941 Dent 222-465 X 2,286,797 6/ 1942 Duerme.

2,571,798 10/1951 Urch 222 83.5 3,147,887 9/ 1964 Brooks 222-83.5 3,198,388 8/1965 Campbell 22283.5 3,319,837 5/1967 Mueller 222386.5 X

ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

N. L. STACK, Assistant Examiner. 

